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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Paris Daydreams

Remember this fab view l'avenue de l'Opera from Tuesday's Paris Greys..? Look at this version by Impressionist Pissarro (1898) Not really all that much has changed aside from a few cars and whatnot... Paris will always be a visual feast for artists and anyone else with eyes in their head...The long avenues of repeated, orderly patterns cry out for the paintbrush....

At night the shiny streets and sparkly lights - just stupendous!

Gustave Caillbotte shows housepainters doing what they do everyday, but it's in Paris!

do you know leaonard pitt? He lives in berkely, CA, but loves paris too and wrote a book called 'Paris Disparu' comparing old photos of paris with how it looks now! He at first couldnt get it published in english so that it came out in french first. And he is a marvelous speaker - I have heard him at Brentano's (RIP) and patricia laplante-collins (still going strong).

Carol,Thanks for the lovely offerings today. As a frustrated painter, photography has filled that void (for the most part) for me. Someone said, " Photography is instant painting". True. And of course our Paris is a photographer's dream.V

just wanted to tell you HOW much I love reading your blog each day--you are an amazing francophile and artist all rolled into one and if I had any say in this, you should one day get a Legion d'Honneur for you work.

As far as today's post goes, just wanted to mention that your photo was taken from La Place de l'Opéra, whereas the Impressionnist painting (Monet or Renoir or maybe Sisley?) is definitely painted from the OTHER end, ie Place de la Comédie Française and that fountain is there today as it was then...

I love seeing all the photos and paintings of Paris! I came to really appreciate Utrillo when I saw his exhibit (and his mother Susan Valadon's work included as well) in Paris last February or March! The paintings at that exhibit were primarily Montmartrescapes..and I loved them!

You make me want to get to Paris asap. The reason I left NY was for a lack of view outside too. In Denver, I get to see the open sky and "snow capped mountains white". It really makes an impact on your quality of life.I love your pic of l'avenue de la Opera and the Pissaro painting. There's a French Art Exhibit here at the moment too....I think I will go. Thanks for the inspiration.

I never fail to get great joy out of reading your posts and today is no exception. We were in Paris last September and on visiting Musee d'Orsay were dumbstuck to discover that most of the Impressionists were on their way to Australia, our home country, while renovations were taking place at the Museum. We finally caught up with them on a trip south to Canberra during the Christmas break.

I was mesmerised by your film yesterday of the Paris floods. Thank you so much.

I can't believe I neglected to comment yesterday! I must have been lost in thoughts. Yes, I admit, I was dreaming - among other things - of taking your view of New Year and make a cutout - a painting would be better, of course, alas, I am no painter - I was so smitten by the clean lines of that building with the fire escape ladder, the one next to it and the reflecting windows of the brick (?) building in the background, there is something about the color palette that I find attractive (always forgetting that this all happens under a grey sky of which I honestly have had enough for this winter, thank you). The scene reminds me of Mondrian's painting at the Guggenheim (I checked, it is ). You see, artists do that to wretches like me: The inspire us to see the world with different eyes, like you do, every single morning. Thank you, Carol! :-)

PARIS in yr Mailbox!

♥carol gillott♥

l'Ile Saint Louis, Paris, Ile de France, France

Hi I'm Carol Gillott,
My Mom taught me watercolors at 5 and I'm still at it. Now I live by the Seine on l'Ile Saint-Louis. Do consider subscribing to my Paris letters and maps on Etsy and enjoy a taste of Paris in your mailbox every month to savor with a hot chocolate and croissant. I paint Paris dreams.